Goulburn get's a Headspace, finally

Mayor Geoff Kettle with Headspace CEO Chris Tanti and Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor, a few months back

A HEADSPACE centre providing mental health services for young people will be established in Goulburn.

Goulburn will be one of 15 additional communities across Australia provided with a Headspace facility.

Member for Hume Angus Taylor and Federal Health Minister Peter Dutton will reveal more details today.

It’s a huge win for the Goulburn community which has been rallying for such a service for years.

In November 2012 a petition was launched by a local action group appealing to the Federal Government for funding to establish a youth-targeted facility.

Since then there has been an influx of charity days, rallies, official forums and workshops.

Headspace is a national mental health service for young people, providing essential mental health services to young people aged between 12 and 25.

This new site, which has been announced during Mental Health Week, will allow more young people in the Goulburn district to receive the help they need to fully recover or better manage their conditions and avoid serious and debilitating conditions later in life.

Each centre employs youth workers and mental health professionals who understand the issues facing young Australians.

The Headspace programme was established by the former Coalition Government in 2006 and the 15 new sites will bring the total number of Headspace locations across Australia to 100 helping more than 80,000 young Australians each year.

The additional 15 centres will be established in stages over the next two years and deliver on the Coalition’s election commitment to expand headspace locations to 100 nationally.

Local organisations are encouraged to monitor the headspace website for the timing of the Expression of Interest process for the management of the new centre at www.headspace.org.au.

Young Australians who do not have convenient access to a headspace centre can use eheadspace.org.au —a free, confidential and anonymous telephone and web-based mental health support service.